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Duck your head, limbo in, probe the footwell for legroom, lower yourself carefully into the Sparco tub, stretch out, breathe out, and relax if you can. No, the Gallardo cockpit is not made for tall fatsos whose Gold's Gym membership expired in 1972. Which is a shame, because the Superleggera epitomizes luxury in a modern, laidback fashion - super, yes; leggera, less so. Almost the entire passenger cell is lined with black Alcantara, which looks and feels like suede. To reduce weight, the door panels, the transmission tunnel cover, and the seat buckets are made of shiny carbon fiber. Other nice touches include bespoke instrument faces, body-color accents like contrasting stitching and piping, aluminum pedals, and a meaty steering wheel with an ever-so-slightly squared-off bottom.inline_mediumwraptextright28529545/reviews/driven/1003_2011_lamborghini_gallardo_superleggera_lp570_406+2011-lamborghini-gallardo-superleggera-lp-570-4-front-three-quarter.jpgTrue

In the lofty niche of high-end four-seat convertibles, few stars shine brighter than the new Maserati GranTurismo. With the heater on high, the bum warmers on max, and the polished twenty-inch wheels shod with go-anywhere Pirelli SottoZero tires, it was a real pleasure to thumb a nose at winter from behind the wheel of this drop-dead gorgeous Maserati. There's no doubt about it: Maserati made the right decision when it halted the production-ready retractable hardtop in favor of this roomier, prettier, and more involving softtop.

The GranTurismo convertible (which will be known elsewhere as the GranCabrio) is the third and final iteration of the Quattroporte platform that was first unveiled in 2003. Although this component set was originally not meant to go topless, Maserati is now claiming best-in-class torsional rigidity as well as unrivaled rear leg- and headroom. The latter is an important asset: after all, 72 percent of convertible buyers order cars with more than two seats. Predictably, the numerous reinforcement measures required increased the weight to 4365 pounds. That's 220 pounds heavier than the GranTurismo coupe and almost 300 more than a Jaguar XKR convertible but about 30 pounds less than a BMW M6 softtop. Despite strengthening efforts, cowl shake is an issue when driving on undulating surfaces.inline_mediumwraptextright28218757/features/great_drives/1004_2011_maserati_granturismo_convertible1004_02_z+2011_maserati_granTurismo_convertible+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Even with nineteen-inch wheels, the MDX rides surprisingly well, much better than our Four Seasons Audi Q5. Acura's 300-hp V-6 powers the chunky MDX with authority, and it sounds good doing so. This vehicle is a little more annoying to get into and out of than the Audi, particularly in back (with a high step-in and narrow door aperture), but cabin space is good. Of course, there is the standard third-row seat, for those who need cramped occasional quarters for two more. Massively thick pillars, large rear headrests, and a shrunken tailgate window mean rear-quarter visibility stinks, making the blind-spot warning system a near necessity. The interior is nicely finished, not a work of art but uniformly good materials quality and no fit or finish issues. Lots of buttons on the dash could be better grouped by system, but even as is, it's better than wading through onscreen menus, and there are knobs for some important functions.inline_mediumwraptextright28511614/reviews/editors_notebook/1003_2010_acura_mdx1003_03_z+2010_acura_mDX+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue